There are various different hunting blinds and stands used by hunters and/or nature observers to camouflage the occupant from the wildlife game and/or to provide the occupant with protection from the elements. Such hunting blinds can be permanent, semi-permanent and portable structures which are placed in or near the natural habitat of the wildlife game being hunted. Hunting blinds that are permanent or semi-permanent are often stationary and made of wood and/or metal materials and often painted or otherwise camouflaged to blend with the trees and foliage of the surrounding environment to conceal the occupants from the wildlife game. Other hunting blinds that are collapsible and/or portable are often made of a combination of poles and camouflaged fabric material, much like tents, such that the hunting blind can be reduced in size and be portable enough to be easily transported from one location to another. These hunting blinds come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and often the hunting blinds are mounted on the ground, an elevated platform, or in a tree stand with a ladder or other means to reach the hunting blind.
During a given hunting season or wildlife observation period, the occupant of the hunting blind can experience a wide array of weather. Such weather includes inclement weather, such as snow, sleet, rain, extreme cold and the like. In this inclement weather, the portable hunting blinds provide very little protection. The more stationary hunting blinds may provide more protection, but the hunting blind is not conducive to being moved or relocated because of the size, shape, weight and/or complexity of the hunting blind.
Wildlife also can often sense human scent emanating from the wildlife blind. Wildlife game can frequently sense human scent from great distances and will avoid such areas. Some portable hunting blinds attempt to address this issue with fabric that may contain a scent-suppressing material, such as U.S. Pat. No. 7,121,290. Others have replaced the window openings with a light transmissive material that can be punctured by an arrow, bullet or other projective fired from within the enclosure in the direction of the wildlife game, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,040,335. These hunting blinds, however, often need to be staked down to be stationary, which is not always possible in cold weather, and the fabric-like material does not always provide enough barrier to keep the occupant warm enough throughout the entire hunting period.
Therefore, there is a need for a hunting blind structure that protects the occupant from inclement weather, that is stationary enough during use yet portable enough to be transported from location to location, and that provides scent containment features, all of which permit the occupant to enjoy the hunting and/or observation experience without the occupant experiencing the unpleasantness of inclement weather or the wildlife game avoiding the area of the hunting blind due to the occupant's scent.